Runner for curtain rods



FeB. 2 1926., 1,571,394

E. CHALMER v .1 RUNNER FOR. cunwuw sons Filed Dec 25, 1924' Patented Feb. 2, 1926.

UNITED s'rres ERNEST CHALMER, 0F SURBITOH, ENGLAND.

RUNNER FOB CURTAIN.RODS.

Application filed December 23, 1924:. Serial No. 757,651.

To all whom. it may concern:

Be it known that 1, Farmer CHALMER, a subject of the King of Great. Britain, and resident of No. 9 The Crescent, Surbiton, in the county of Surrey, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Runners for Curtain Rods, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to runners for curtain-rods of the kind comprising a frame, provided with a roller or rollers adapted to run or roll on the curtain-pole or rod and means for the attachmentof the curtain to the said frame.

According to this invention, the runner comprises a substantially V or U-shaped or part-circular frame, the horns of which are provided at their ends with rollers or wheels adapted to roll with a twin tread or track on the curtain-pole or rod. The two horns or members of the V or U-shaped frame are pivoted together at their lower ends to enable them to be put on and removed from the pole without dismounting or removing the latter from its brackets or supports and a device is also provided for looking together the said frame-members when in their proper relative positions. Preferably, the locking device is of such a nature as to enable the horns to be locked together at different angles to make the runner suitable for use with curtain-poles or rodsv of clifferent sizes. The horns of the frame are, conveniently made of channel-section and, in that case, the wheels or rollersare mounted on pins or studs, each having a transverse groove or notch, said pins being adapted to be secured in the horns at their extremities by pressing or stamping the walls of the horns around the pins and in engagement with the transverse notches or the pins may be fixed by screws or otherwise. Or the horns may be pressed into cylindrical or tubular shape at their ends and may serve as the pins themselves with orwithout eyelets or sleeves formed thereon to form journals for the wheels and having flanges to prevent the axial displacement of the wheels when mounted thereon. The wheels or rollers are, conveniently mounted in such a manner as to lie in planes angular to or parallel with the vertical plane in which the curtain hangs and in all cases they make a line contact with the roller at their treads.

And in order that the invention may be readily understood and carried into effect,

reference will be made to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is an end elevation of a simple embodiment of a runner for a curtain rod constructed according to this invention.

Figure is a side elevation thereof.

Figure 3 is a plan section on the line 33 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is an end elevation of another modification.

Figure 5 is a similar view of modification.

Figure 6 a front elevation.

Figure 7 is a back elevation, and

Figures 8 and 9 are perspective views of detail.

Figure 10 illustrates in section and to an enlarged scale, one arrangement for mountmg the wheels or rollers, but without a wheel thereon.

yet another Figure 11 is a part sectional view of an other modification, and

Figure 12 is a similar view of yet another modified form.

In the construction shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3, the frame comprises two horns or members a a of sheet brass of channelsection formed or bent similarly to the members of a pair of callipers. At their lower ends, the members have the connecting web cut away at f and are perforated to receive the pivot 7 which is conveniently made in the form of a rivet. This pivot is also adapted to serve as'the point of support for the curtain hook 6. One of the horns a has each of its flanges perforated at /L- to receive a piece of wire 2' which at one end is bent to form one arm of a lever and terminates with a loop or eye a" to form a handle and also prevent the lever from becoming entangled or engaged with some external object, while theother end is also bent to form a longer lever arm, the end of which is also bent at right angles or otherwise to form a hook The central portion of the wire 2' forming the lever constitutes its pivot or Weigh-shaft and this is fulcruined in the two holes h in one of the horns. The other horn has its- Web perforated with three or four holes is, each of which is adapted to receive the hook i of the lever 6, according as the horns areclose together or further apart to make the runner frame suitable for use with curtain rods of smaller or larger diameter. The upper ends of the horns have conical rollers mounted thereon and the rollers may be made of ebonite or hard rubber or of metal. covered with rubber to prevent noise, friction and scoring the curtain poles or rod r. The rollers are mounted on headed studs m (see also Figure each stud having a transverse notch or groove near the end remote from the head. The roller is first puton the stud, the stud'is inserted in the channel at the end of the horn, the flanges or walls of the horn are pressed together so that the stud is more or less encircled and angles of the rollers are not so important described.

vided with treads, semi-circular or curved as is the case where wheels are employed, and as will be presently described more specifically, because the rollers are so much wider than the wheels and accommodate themselves to the curtain poles with less necessity for adjustment. 1

According to another construction and as shown in Figure 4, the frame comprises two horns or members a of sheet brass of channel-section and very smnlar to those 111st described. The upper ends of the horns have the wheels or rollers 0 mounted thereon and these wheels or rollers may be made of ebonite or hard rubber or they may be made of metal with rubber tyres as before The wheels are suitably proin cross section and are mounted on headed studs m best seen in Figure 10). The wheels ,are conveniently in planes about thirty to fifty degrees to the horizon according as the ends of the horns are close together or further apart to suit curtain poles of large or small diameter.

Referring to Figures, 5, 6. 7, 8 and 9, it

will be seen that. similar to the construction just described, the two horns or members a of sheet brass or other alloy or metal and of channel-section, are formed or bent as before described. At their lower ends, the members have the connecting web cut away or perforated at 7 to receive the cur tain hook e and their parallel flanges are perforated to receive the pivot which is conveniently in the form of a rivet g. The web of one of the horns is perforated or slotted transversely at 0 to receive a member comprising, as best seen in Figure 8, a T-shaped piece of metal Z provided with a screwthreaded hole Z forming a nut at the end remote from the horizontal member Z of the T. The intermediate portion, forming the shank, is bent at about right angles near the said horizontal member and similarly, but in the other direction near the nut. The end of the member Z remote from the nut is passed through the hole 0 in the Web of the horn so that the nut extends towards the other horn or member f. The latter is furnished with an inverted T-shaped slot 7) of which the horizontal member is situated transversely of the web of the horn. A screw 9 consisting (as best seen in Figure 9) of a piece of wire, screw-threaded at one end and bent to form an eye or ring at the other end, is passed through the T-shaped slot 7) and screwed into the nut Z. If the screw Q is turned so that the eye is situated in a vertical plane, opened or closed and the eye or head of the screw can pass through the slot 1) so as to allow the runner to be put on or taken off the curtain-rod or pole without disconnecting the screw and nut from each other. Then the runner is in place and embraces the curtain rod 1*, the screw g is turned until the horns or members are the correctdistance apart to suit the diameter of the curtain-rod, that is, with the planes of the treads of the wheels 0 intersecting each other and also as near as may be, the central longitudinal axis of the curtain-rod or pole, as indicated by the two intersecting dotted lines, the eye or head of the screw q is turned so as to engage the extreme ends of the horizontal portion of the T-shaped slot 7; and the two horns a are locked together in the proper position.

Instead of mounting the wheels or rollers on pins each horn of U-shaped section may, as shown in the detail view Figure 11, be pressed at its free or upper end a? into cylindrical or tubular shape and may serve as the pin or axle for the wheel or roller 0 and the flanges a prevent axial displacement at one end of the axle while the extreme end is expanded to prevent displacement at the other end. Preferably, washers s are mounted on each side of the wheel to prevent undue wear and friction.

Or, as shown in Figure 12, the tubular end a of a horn is provided with a sleeve t furnished beforehand with a flange 25' and when the .wheel 0 has been placed thereon the other end of the sleeve and/or the extreme end of the tubular portion a of the horn is or, are expanded as shown. This sleeve t forms a better journal or axle than the tubular end of the horn because there is no longitudinal joint in the sleeve such as is present in the horn.

I claim 1. A runner for a curtain-rod or pole comprising a frame consisting of two members hinged together each member adapted to partly surround the curtain rod, means for the horns may be locking together the frame-members, a wheel revolubly mounted at the upper end 01' each frame member, each wheel being adapted to roll along parallel tracks on the curtain rod and means at the bottom of said framemembers for supporting a curtain.

2. A runner for a curtain-rod or pole comprising a frame consisting of two members hinged together, each member adapted to partly surround the curtain rod, means for limiting the relative position of the frame members, a wheel rerolubiy mounted at the upper end of each tra1neme1nber, each wheel lreing adapted to make contact with its tread at a point on the curtain-rod so that the two wheels are adapted to roll along parallel line-traclrs on the curtain-rod and means at the bottom of aid frame members for supporting a curtain.

A runner for a curtain-rod or pole comprising two bent i'ramc-men'ibers hinged together at the bottom, adapted to partly surround the curtain rod and angularly disposed in relation to each other at their upper ends, means for locking together the two frame-members when in their desired relative positions, a wheel revolubly mounted at the upper and "free end 01' each framemember, such wheel being adapted to make contact with its tread at a point on the cur tain-rod so that the two wheels are adapted to roll along parallel line-tracks on the curtain-rod and means in the neighbourhood of the hinge of said traineanembers for supporting a curtain.

A runner for a curtain-rod or pole comprising two bent frame members hinged together at the bottom, adapted to partly surround the curtain-rod and angular-1y disposed in relation to each other at their upper ends, adjustable means for looking together the said members when in their proper relative positions, a wheel revolubly mounted at the upper and "free end of each irame-mei'nber, such wheel being adapted to make contact with its tread at a point on the curtain rod so that the two wheels are adaptel to roll along parallel line-tacks on the curtain red, the planes or" the wheels, including their treads, being angular to each other and means in the i'ieighbourhcod of the hinge of said frame--aernbers for supporting a curtain.

A runner for a curtain-rod or pole comprising two bent frameanembers of channel-section, said frame members being hinged together at the bottom, adapted to partly surround the curtain-rod and angularly disposed at their free ends in relation to each other, adjustable means for locking together the said members when mounted on the curtain-rod and in their proper relative positions, a wheel revolubly mounteo at the upper anil free end of each -[lame-member, such wheel being adapted to make contact with its tread at a point onthe curtain rod so that the two wheels are adapted to roll along parallel line tracks on the curtain-rod and the planes of the wheels, including their treads, are angular to each other and means in the neighbourhood ot' the hinge for supporting a curtain.

e. A. runner for a curtain-rod or pole c01nprising two bent fran'ie-members oi chan nel section, each of said frame-men'ibcrs having perforations in the flanges at their lower ends to receive a hinge pin, the said hinge pin, adjustable means for locking together the said members, a wheel revolubly 1nounted at the upper and free end of each frame mon'iber, each of such wheels being adapted, when the-said members are mounted so as to partly encircle or surround the curtain rod, to make contact with its tread, at a point on the curtain-rod and in such a manner that the two wheels are adapted to roll along parallel line-tracks on the curtainiod, the planes of the wheels, including their tread, being angular to each other, and means in the neighbourhood of the hinge pin for supporting a curtain.

7. A runner for a curtain-rod or pole comprising two bent frame-members of channehsection, each of said frame-mom'- bers having perforations in the flange at their lower ends to receive a rivet forming a hinge-pin, the said hinge-pin, adjustable means tor locking together the said members, a pin, adapted to serve as a Wheel axle, secured to the free end of each bent frameanemher, a wheel revolubly mounted on each of the said pins, each of said wheels being adapted, when the said frame-members are mounted so as to partly encircle or surround the curtain rod, to make contact with its tread at a point on the curtain-rod and in such a manner that the two wheels are adapted to roll along parallel line-tracks on the curtain rod, the planes of the wheels. including their treads, being angular to each other, and means in the neighbourhood of the hinge-pin for supporting a curtain.

8. A runner for a curtain-rod or pole comprising two bent frame members of channel-section, each of said frame-members having perforations in the flanges at their lower ends to receive a rivet forming a hinge-pin, the said hingepin, adjustable means for locking together the said members, two pins serving as wheel axles and transversely notched, each pin being secured to a bent.frame-member formed approximately tubular to receive the said pin and fashioned to engage in the notch, a wheel revolubly mounted on each pin, each wheel being adapted, when the said frame-memhers are mounted so as to partly encircle or surround the curtain-rod, to make contact with its tread at a point on the curtain-rod and in such a manner that the two wheels are adapted to travel along parallel-line tracks on the curtain-rod, the planes of the wheels, including their treads, being angular to each other, and means in the neighbourhood of the hinge-pin for supporting a curtain.

9. A runner for a curtain rod or pole comprising two bent f'anie-meinbersi of channel-section, said frame-members being hinged together at the bottom, adapted to partly surround the curtain rod and angularly disposed at their free ends in relation to each other, an aperture in each frame member, one aperture adapted to receive a screw and the other aperture adapted to have connected thereto a nut-ineniber, the said screw, the said nut-member consisting of a bent rod formed with a T-pieee at one end and a nut at the other end, the screw being passed through one aperture and the nutnicinher being passed through the other aperture and retained by the T-piece, the

- screw en aging in the said nut so that the ID C; Q

two tranie-nien'ibers are locked together when on the curtain-rod and in their proper relati e positions, a wheel revolubly niounted at the upper and free end of each frameinen'iber, such wheel being adapted to make contact with its tread at a point on the curtain-rod so thatthe two wheels are adapt ed to roll along parallel line-tracks on the curtain-rod and the planes of the wheels, including their treads, being angular to each other and means in the neighbourhood of the hinge for supporting a curtain.

10. A runner for a curtain-rod or pol-e comprising two bent frame-members o't channel-section, each 01 said frame-members having perforations in the flanges a their lower ends to receive a rivettorining a hinge-pin, the said hinge-pin, two headed pins serving as wheel axles and transversely notched each pin being secured to the free end of a bent frame-member formed approximately tubular to receive it and fashioned to engage in the notch, a wheel revolubly mounted on each of said pins, an aperture in each tranie-ineniber, one aperture adapted to receive a screw and the other aperture adapted to have connected thereto a nut-member, the said screw, the said nut member consisting of a bent rod formed with a T-piece at one end and a nut at the other end, the screw being passed through one aperture and the nut-member being passed through the other aperture and retained by the T-piece, the screw engaging in the said nut so that the two frame-members are locked together when on the curtain rod and in their proper relative positions, the wheels are adapted to travel along parallel linetracks on the curtain-rod, the planes of the wheels, including their treads, being angular to each other and means in the neighbourhood of the hinge pin for supporting the curtain.

11. A runner for a curtain-rod or pole comprising two bent frame-members of channel section, each of said frame-members having perforations in the flanges at their lower ends to receive a rivet forming a hinge-pin, the said hinge-pin, .two headed pins serving as wheel axles and transversely notched, each pin being secured to the free end of a frame-member, formed approximately tubular to receive it and fashioned to engage in the notch, a wheel, revolubly mounted on each of said pins, an aperture in each frame member, one aperture being T- shaped and adapted to receive a screw and the other aperture adapted to have connected thereto a nut-member, the said screw provided with a head adapted to be seated in the transverse portion of the T-shaped aperture the said nut-inen'iber consisting of a bent rod formed with a T-picce at one end and a nut at the other end, the screw, after being passed through the T-shaped aperture and caused to engage the nut being turned to adjust the angularity of the two frame members and the head of the screw being finally seated in the transverse portion of the T-shaped aperture to prevent it from turning, thus locking the two framemembers together in their proper relative positions on the curtain-rod, the wheels be ing adapted to travel along parallel angu lar tracks on the curtain-rod, the planes of the wheels, including their treads being angular to each other, and approximately intersecting the axis of the curtain-rod and a slot near the lower end of the web of each flflll'ledlTGlDlF-Ol, the said slots being adapted to receive a curtain hook for suspending the curtain.

ERNIE ST GHALMER. 

